Rewriting Mistakes
by Rosesdancinginmymind
Summary: Just a quick oneshot that popped into my head overnight. AU – Cora's alive and has her heart. Re-do of 3x12 wherein Cora finds Regina burying her heart not Snow. Also some slight SQ but main focus is Cora/Regina.


_Just a quick oneshot that popped into my head overnight. AU – Cora's alive and has her heart. Re-do of 3x12 wherein Cora finds Regina burying her heart not Snow. Also some slight SQ but main focus is Cora/Regina. Hope you like :)_

Since the decision was made for Regina and Snow to join forces the ragtag group of fairytale characters have been wandering through now unfamiliar woods. Snow and Charming are leading the way with Cora and Regina bringing up the rear as they move solemnly to their new home.

Cora and Regina walk in silence. She wants to something but every time she glances at her daughter's face all she sees is heartbreak and she finds herself not knowing what to say. After all what words could replace the loss of Henry and Emma? She wishes she had some way to fix this but unfortunately for them both there is not always a magical cure.

Cora pauses for a moment unused to treks like this. Ordinarily she would poof but for her daughter she's travelling with the group. Regina's lost enough people today, the least she can do is stand by her side. She stops to take a breath overhearing Snow and Charming call the palace 'our castle'. That's going to be a big adjustment for everyone in this group but sadly one they must make if they have any chance of surviving together. In spite of her history with Snow White, and her daughter's, Cora knows deep down she's much rather be with them than alone.

It's Leroy who pulls her from her momentary break, "Where's the queen?" he asks and she spins slowly frowning at the absence of her daughter. She pales slightly, an uneasy feeling beginning to stir in her gut. Snow moves forward, "I'll go find her" she says but Cora raises her hand.

"No, she's my daughter Snow. Please let me" their relationship may still be tense sometimes but they've certainly come a long way since the day Regina returned her heart. All she knows is that right now Regina needs to know that she is not alone and as her mother that's her job.

Snow frowns before eventually nodding and leaving Cora to go off on her search.

The older woman leaves the group behind paying close attention to the sounds of the forest. She walks forward a few feet before hearing a slight rustling. _Please be Regina and not some bizarre forest creature _she thinks readying her magic just to be on the safe side. She drops it when she sees Regina on her hands and knees burying something. Her blood runs cold as that uneasy feeling grows.

"Regina" she calls out worriedly taking a step forward.

"What do you want?" Regina asks and Cora frowns. The voice is all wrong. There's no pain, no anger, no sharpness, it's devoid of anything.

"We were worried about you and rightly so from the looks of it. What are you doing?" Cora asks stepping forward once more.

"None of your business" Regina replies tersely. Again Cora steps closer until she's standing beside her crouched daughter. She gasps as she sees what's in the ground. A heart. Her daughter's heart, glowing red beneath a veneer of black. She knows where all that light came from. _Love is weakness_ the old mantra floats through her mind and she winces seeing her daughter about to make the same mistake she did.

"Regina you can't do this" she says softly kneeling down next to her daughter.

Finally Regina looks up at her, "Watch me" she says.

"It won't help. It won't make you feel better. You won't feel anything Regina" Cora warns knowing full well what living without a heart is like. It's barely living. It's just surviving and existing. That's not what she wants for her daughter. She wants Regina to live.

"That's the point!" Regina snaps, "I can't just walk around these woods and pretend they aren't gone! Henry doesn't even remember me. I raised him for ten years. I am his Mom and all I am is a story to him. And Emma. Emma. We were supposed to be each other's happy ending and now she's gone. Do you have any idea what it's like to remember? To know that they are happy, that I gave them a good life but that I can't be with them. At least without that in my chest it hurts less."

Cora feels a tear roll down her cheek at her daughter's pain. Even without her heart her voice cracks with sorrow and her eyes glisten with tears. She reaches out gently placing her hand on Regina's shoulder.

"Regina right now it hurts. I know, I know that it hurts but you need that heart"

"You didn't" Regina replies.

"I did. Regina I took my heart out and it was the biggest mistake of my life. I thought that love was weakness so I decided to live without it. It didn't hurt me but it cost me so much more. Without that heart you can never be happy."

"I can't be happy without Henry and Emma anyway"

"Then you have to find a way back to them. It might take days, months or years but Regina love is not a weakness. It hurts. Right now for you it hurts but don't make my mistakes. Love is your strength and you need to do more than just exist in this world my darling. You need to live. You need to live for Emma and Henry and find a way back to your happy ending. You can't do that if you leave your heart behind. All they want, all I want, for you is happiness Regina and trust me when I tell you that it isn't in burying your heart." Cora says pointing to the beating organ.

Regina nods slowly before hesitantly reaching for the heart and placing it back in her chest. As she does she gasps as she feels the memories and emotions swarm her all over again. She sees Henry hugging her goodbye and telling her she isn't a villain but his Mom. She sees Emma's face crumpling into tears as they say goodbye. She sees them climbing into the Bug and driving away. She feels her heart ache with sorrow and pain and a loud sob rises in her throat.

At the sound of her daughter's pained cry Cora moves forward before bringing her daughter into her arms. She can feel Regina pawing at her chest but she moves to still her hands.

"No. It hurts. I need it out" her daughter argues weakly, "They're gone. I'm alone and they're gone" she cries.

"You're not alone" Cora replies, "You have Snow and Charming. And you have me. And one day you will be with Emma and Henry again. You aren't going to make my mistakes Regina. You're going to rewrite them and be strong because that heart will lead you back to your happy ending"

"Promise?" Regina asks as clings to her mother.

Cora smiles sadly resting her head atop Regina's, "I promise."

_I did love the original Snow/Regina scene but then I dreamt that this happened and so I decided to write it. Hope you liked it. Thanks for reading :)_


End file.
